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2 What Can We Do? continued from page 1 The oneness of the human family is taught in Genesis by affirming Adam and Eve as the progenitors of the race. Paul develops in Romans how Christ, in taking one human being to himself in the Incarnation, has taken every human being into union with his divine nature. In the light of this teaching, all social divisions have to be reevaluated and many of them dismantled. The destruction of the Twin Towers was clearly an attack on humanity itself. Since God is identified with the human family and dwells in each member of it, the destruction was also an attack upon God. The crescendo of human suffering is manifested by the disregard of ordinary citizens as possessing any rights in war, as the just war theory had once proposed as essential for a war to be truly just. The United States government has its share of blame, e.g. the saturation bombing of German cities at the close of WWII, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, support of corrupt dictatorships, refusal to ban land mines and refusal to forgive the debts of impoverished countries, building an ever more grandiose military industrial complex at the cost of neglecting the poor, health care, and protecting the environment. The present terrorist crisis moves to certain logical conclusions. No one is safe. No place is safe. No weapons can secure anyone against a terrorist attack, especially the ultimate aggression of suicide bombing. The destruction of the Twin Towers happens to be the most visible and dramatic image of the corporate crucifixion of the human family up till now. Isaiah vividly foretells the Passion of Jesus and its consequences (Isa. 52:13-53:12). By making all the pronouns plural, the text strikingly resonates with the tragic deaths of those crushed in the falling buildings. The agonizing deaths of the victims conform them to Christ’s redeeming death. Do they foreshadow the corporate resurrection that God may be preparing for the world? Dying to the false self and inner resurrection is the path to divine union. Many individuals have reached this state in the course of human history. But the divine plan for the human race as a whole to reach this state is now becoming the central issue for religion, spirituality, and human history itself. What might we do? Above everything else, continue or initiate in one’s own life a permanent commitment to personal transformation. Be reconciled with everyone, forgive in advance those who fight against us. Act in principle out of the reality of the oneness of the human family and all creation. The specific way in which to serve depends on one’s own talents, the call of grace, and the recognition of the immense complexity, as well as the interconnectedness and interdependence, of the developing global society. Issues of justice and peace need the input, collaboration, and cooperation of experts in many areas of human interaction if the emerging global society is to meet the world’s immediate and ongoing needs. The President’s Letter Dear Friends, Everyday we receive a gift when we take the time to deepen our relationship with God through the practice of Centering Prayer. This treasure can’t be taken for granted and must be celebrated. It offers us the inner confidence that God is present moment to moment. There are countless ways we see the benefits of Centering Prayer each day. It may be the moment when we are able to listen to someone with openness and understanding or when we let a car pull in front of us in rush hour traffic or when we have the inner strength to sit with a dying loved one. Yes, indeed we have been given a precious gift and we must value, honor and share it with others. I invite you to participate in the events below as a way of sharing our contemplative spirit. The Twentieth Anniversary of Contemplative Outreach celebrating Living Ordinary Life with Extraordinary Love will be the highlight of our Annual Conference, in Toronto, Canada, September 29th to October 3 rd . Fr. Thomas and Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, osb will be our keynote speakers for this special event. As part of our conference celebration we will launch a year of practice with our worldwide network community. A beautiful Praxis Packet with a series of cards especially designed to commemorate each of the practices will be presented in a simple, prayerful way. We would like to celebrate with as many of you as possible so mark your calendars and plan to attend. (See the article on page 3 or visit our website.) The Back to Basics Materials featured at our 2003 conference are completed and we are eager to visit our Chapters to offer workshops in re-training commissioned presenters and facilitators using the new revised Introductory Workshop Essentials and the revised, updated Method of Centering Prayer brochure. Please contact the International Office if you are interested in scheduling a program for your area. In March, we held our 12 th Annual United in Prayer Day and 145 persons hosted the event, which includes our international members. The video was from an interview with Fr. Thomas in which he spoke about The Divine DNA. Our United in Prayer Day is always scheduled for the third Saturday in March. Plan on participating next year. Fr. Thomas is working on a new book which should be published later this year. Please check our on-line bookstore at www.contemplativeoutreach.org for ordering details. Thank you for the abundant blessings that you have shared with us over the years. With heartfelt gratitude, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, President
Invitation to Generosity by Fr. Carl J. Arico, Campaign Co-chair Annual Conference by Marie Howard, Special Events Coordinator 3 We are now two-thirds of the way through our five year campaign. As part of the campaign, our 20 th Anniversary Tour is under way. Yes, Contemplative Outreach has been in existence for 20 years! We are celebrating this historic time by visiting chapters for a weekend of leadership enrichment and fundraising events. The visiting team, along with me, is Fr. Thomas Keating, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, and Marie Howard. When possible we will all be present, but as you may know, Fr. Thomas has had to limit his travel and will attend as many of the events as he can. These are our up and coming events through May 2005. 2004 7/9-11 Omaha, NE 9/17-19 Iowa City, IA 10/8-10 Peoria held in Moline, IL 10/15-17 Dallas, TX 10/29-31 Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, NC 11/19-21 Cleveland, OH 2005 1/21-23 Austin TX, Heart of Texas 1/28-30 Portland, OR 2/25-27 San Francisco 4/8-10 St. Paul and Duluth, MN 4/29-5/1 Pittsburg, PA 5/20-22 Washington, DC Marie Howard is in contact with the chapters and she can be reached at 310-823-5863. Please give her a call. We have had fundraising chapter events in St. Louis, MO; Orange County, NY; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles and San Diego, CA; Fredricksburg, TX; Louisville, KY; and Venice, FL. Many people who have attended these events have had the personal experience of their lives being transformed by the practice of Centering Prayer. Their generosity – spiritually and financially – has confirmed my belief that this Campaign is one of great importance as we celebrate 20 years of Contemplative Outreach. Our hope is to be able to continue to offer the teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating, which have been so instrumental for our personal spiritual growth, to others throughout the world who are searching for the contemplative dimension in their lives. We invite you to be an integral part of the future of Contemplative Outreach as we move into the next 20 years and beyond by your continued fidelity to Centering Prayer and your ongoing financial support. Plans are underway for our Annual Conference to be held in Toronto, Canada at the Don Valley Hotel, September 29th to October 3rd, 2004. It is especially exciting this year as we are celebrating the 20 th anniversary of Contemplative Outreach. Our theme for the overall conference and the Day of Enrichment is “Living Ordinary Life with Extraordinary Love.” The enrichment program begins on Wednesday evening and will feature many of the practices offered by Contemplative Outreach for on-going spiritual growth and support. We will meet in Clusters and hold the Annual Business Meeting of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. on Friday morning. The coordinators will meet on Friday afternoon. Susan Komis and a committee of coordinators have already begun to plan the meeting. The Contemplative Outreach community in Toronto is hard at work. Carolyn Gratton, Mary Ellen Carey and Shelley McVea, our local hosts, and their committees have been meeting and reporting in on our monthly conference calls. They are excited to have the conference in their beautiful city and are preparing to make our stay there most comfortable. This year, Madeline Soo, the International Coordinator for Contemplative Outreach, is a member of the planning committee. We will be highlighting many of the activities of Contemplative Outreach offered throughout the world. Once again, we extend to you a cordial invitation to be with us for this historic time as we celebrate 20 years of offering to others this wonderful gift we have been given. We will mark this occasion with a very special birthday party for Contemplative Outreach and hear from our elders who have been with Contemplative Outreach from the beginning. Please mark your calendars now. You won’t want to miss this special time!
Page 1 and 2: Contemplative Outreach News Volume
Page 3: 1 What Can We Do? by Thomas Keating
Page 7 and 8: 5 The Spanish Corner by Ilse Reissn
Page 9 and 10: Media Resource Guide Please remembe
Page 11 and 12: 9 Resource Materials Books By Fr. T
Page 13 and 14: Resource Materials Video Series By
Page 15 and 16: 13 Resource Materials Audio Cassett
Page 17 and 18: 15 Spring/Summer Chapter Updates Au
Page 19 and 20: 17 Updates continued Myanmar (Burma
Page 21 and 22: 19 Calendar of Events June 2004 —
Page 23 and 24: June 2004-March 2005 10 Day Intensi
Page 25 and 26: June 2004-March 2005 CONTEMPLATIVE
Page 27 and 28: U.S. Continued PA Erie Mary Dwyer 8

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